1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to musical instruments, and particularly to electronic percussion instruments.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional acoustic drum consists of a hollow drum shell having one or more drumheads held in place by head hoops. While the drumhead provides the initial vibration, the hollow drum shell provides the acoustic structure necessary to provide the resonant components which gives the drum its distinctive characteristics.
Mesh drumheads have commonly been used to provide a silent surface for drummers wishing to practice in silence without generating the accompanying distinctive drum sound. Electronic drum synthesizers, which pick up the vibration of the drumhead and transmit the signals to external amplifiers, are known. An electronic trigger, often a piezoelectric sensor mounted in the vicinity of the drumhead, detects the vibrations of the drumhead and routes an electronic signal to a device having a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), which processes note and velocity information and generates a tone according to processed data received.
Japanese Patent No. 11-173876, published in February 1999, discloses a drum having a mesh head, and a circuit module that converts the vibration of the head into an electronic signal that is then played through a loudspeaker. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,602, issued to Terry Bozzio in October 1987, discloses an electronic drum having a number of transducers disposed within the drumhead that convert percussion to electrical signals, and a synthesizer that simulates the sound of a variety of instruments by modifying the signal generated by the transducers. Neither patent teaches or discloses placing a speaker inside the drum to more realistically recreate the drum sound, or to facilitate the transportation of the device.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,367, issued Jul. 24, 1973 to Lamme et al., describes a microphone-based percussion instrument whose signal actuates an electronic tone generator. The signal is amplified and then emitted through a loudspeaker. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0004603, published Jan. 2, 2003, teaches an apparatus, which converts percussion signals, triggered by a piezoelectric sensor, into digital signals.
As disclosed in the aforementioned patents and publications, there has been effort directed to sensing the vibrations of instrument drumheads and transmitting the vibrations to electronic synthesizers, amplifiers, and speakers external to the drums themselves. Although serving several purposes, these devices do not satisfy the drummer's desire to have the amplified or otherwise synthesized sound emanate directly from the drum triggering the sound, nor do they address the issue of portability and ease of use.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a real Drum Trigger Monitor and Amplified Tone Module solving the aforementioned problems is desired.